Admin

N.O.W RENOUNCES MANDELL'S STATEMENTS/DEMANDS SHE BE FIRED

By
Home Builder with CDM Construction

California's NOW President, Patty Bellasalma, issued a statement saying that the "National Organization for Women Political Action Committee (NOW PAC) joined with many allied organizations representing a broad and diverse cross-section of U.S. women to endorse Barack Obama and Joe Biden. Both have long records of service, fighting to improve the rights of women, families, and working people. From voting rights to equal pay legislation to authoring and funding the Violence Against Women Act, it was clear to NOW PAC that the Obama/Biden ticket represents the best team for the kind of future we envision for women and girls.

"A member and officer of the Los Angeles NOW chapter, Shelly Mandell, recently introduced Governor Sarah Palin at an event in Carson, California. Ms. Mandell was speaking as an individual and was not authorized to represent NOW, the NOW PAC or LA NOW in any capacity in connection with a federal candidate endorsement. As NOW President Kim Gandy said upon Palin's selection , 'Not every woman supports women's rights.' The use of Shelly Mandell's Los Angeles NOW title was apparently intended to mislead the public, and indeed has resulted in local television outlets and internet reports misstating that LA NOW has "endorsed" Sarah Palin or that she has a record of supporting women's rights. This in fact is not the case.

As President of California NOW and as a member and officer of Los Angeles NOW, I can assure you that there is no local or state affiliate of NOW, including LA NOW, which endorses or supports the McCain/Palin ticket. John McCain and Sarah Palin oppose many of the rights and freedoms we have fought for throughout NOW's 42 years, and we will not be pushed back to the days of back-alley abortions, forced pregnancies, and pay discrimination without remedy. Nor will we let the media distractions deter our members and activists from our organizing for freedom and equality for all women, putting our hopes and our dreams, our hard work and our hard-earned money, behind a proven team for women: the next President of the United States - Barack Obama - and his running mate, longtime friend and ally of women, Sen. Joe Biden With equal ferocity we will fight to protect young women by defeating Proposition 4 and to keep bigotry and discrimination out of our state constitution by defeating Proposition 8 here in California."

NOW MEMBERS DEMAND SHELLY MANDEL BE REMOVED FROM HER POST IMMEDIATELY

October 6, 2008

Speaking of NOW's Benedictina Arnold, a.k.a. Shelly Mandell...

 ..and we were, it looks like CA NOW (California National Organization for Women) recognizes the impact of Los Angeles chapter president Shelly Mandell making a mockery of feminism and dragging the NOW name through the mud by cozying up to anti-choice, anti-gay, anti-everything-NOW-stands-for VP candidate Sarah Palin - and they're not exactly thrilled by Mandell's actions, nor the reaction to it.

Here's the statement of CA NOW president Patty Bellasalma, posted on the CA NOW blog (and I don't think CA NOW will mind our reproducing it in full; the message that the rest of NOW is not a pack of stupid, self-defeating, barefoot-and-pregnant types - like Shelly Mandell - really needs to get out there):

NOW PAC Supports Obama/Biden Ticket, Not Palin

 

On November 4th, California voters will go to the polls to cast their vote about the future of our state and our nation. The National Organization for Women Political Action Committee (NOW PAC) joined with many allied organizations representing a broad and diverse cross-section of U.S. women to endorse Barack Obama and Joe Biden. Both have long records of service, fighting to improve the rights of women, families, and working people. From voting rights to equal pay legislation to authoring and funding the Violence Against Women Act, it was clear to NOW PAC that the Obama/Biden ticket represents the best team for the kind of future we envision for women and girls.

A member and officer of the Los Angeles NOW chapter, Shelly Mandell, recently introduced Governor Sarah Palin at an event in Carson, California. Ms. Mandell was speaking as an individual and was not authorized to represent NOW, the NOW PAC or LA NOW in any capacity in connection with a federal candidate endorsement. As NOW President Kim Gandy said upon Palin's selection, "Not every woman supports women's rights."

The use of Shelly Mandell's Los Angeles NOW title was apparently intended to mislead the public, and indeed has resulted in local television outlets and internet reports misstating that LA NOW has "endorsed" Sarah Palin or that she has a record of supporting women's rights. This in fact is not the case.

As President of California NOW and as a member and officer of Los Angeles NOW, I can assure you that there is no local or state affiliate of NOW, including LA NOW, which endorses or supports the McCain/Palin ticket. John McCain and Sarah Palin oppose many of the rights and freedoms we have fought for throughout NOW's 42 years, and we will not be pushed back to the days of back-alley abortions, forced pregnancies, and pay discrimination without remedy.

Nor will we let the media distractions deter our members and activists from our organizing for freedom and equality for all women, putting our hopes and our dreams, our hard work and our hard-earned money, behind a proven team for women: the next President of the United States - Barack Obama - and his running mate, longtime friend and ally of women, Sen. Joe Biden With equal ferocity we will fight to protect young women by defeating Proposition 4 and to keep bigotry and discrimination out of our state constitution by defeating Proposition 8 here in California.

Excellent. applause

But we still say NOW should sack Mandell's sorry ass, immediately. The right-wing blogs are all over this story like white on rice, and crowing as if they just won a victory. Mandell has every right as a private citizen to say any stupid thing she wants, but the fact of the matter is that as president of LA NOW, she does represent NOW, no matter how she (or NOW) attempts to divorce her private stupidity from her public face.

Besides, Mandell just proved that she hasn't the first clue about feminism. She's not the sort of person who can, or should, be afforded a leadership position in an organization devoted to "freedom and equality for all women."

Sack her now, NOW. The sooner you do, the less damage control you'll have to run - you're not going to be able to downplay a "media distraction" like this by ignoring it. Bellasalma's statement is excellent, but it's not enough.

Sack Mandell, and do it... NOW

Show All Comments Sort:
Earl Barger
CDM Construction - Kingman, AZ

Looks like Mandell will loose her position with N.O.W. due to misrepresenting N.O.W.'s members.

She is a woman who stands alone and apart from the feminist movement of N.O.W.

Oct 07, 2008 06:56 AM